SAN JOSE, Calif. — Two Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office deputies acted lawfully when they fatally shot a man who charged at them with a knife following a lengthy standoff in San Jose last year, according to a report released by the District Attorney’s Office. The confrontation began around 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, 2025, when a deputy stopped 43-year-old Jose Neftali Martinez-Nolasco near Fruitdale and Leigh avenues for expired registration tags. Prosecutors said Martinez-Nolasco briefly drove away before stopping again, barricading himself inside his vehicle and refusing to come out. For approximately two hours, deputies, San Jose police officers and a mental health crisis team attempted to persuade Martinez-Nolasco to surrender. According to the report, he told deputies he was struggling mentally and financially, wanted to die rather than return to jail and was armed with a knife. Deputies utilized pepper balls by firing them at Martinez-Nolasco, prompting Martinez-Nolasco to exit through the passenger door carrying a 9-inch knife. Authorities said he charged at deputies and was struck with multiple less-lethal rounds before falling to the ground. Martinez-Nolasco then got back up and charged again while still holding the knife, despite repeated commands to drop it and additional less-lethal rounds, the report said. Deputies Jose Rios and Douglas Ulrich opened fire, striking Martinez-Nolasco six times, ultimately killing him. A preliminary toxicology screening was positive for methamphetamine and amphetamines. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office concluded the deputies reasonably believed they and others faced an imminent threat and were legally justified in using deadly force.